Our History

    Volunteers Serving The Need (VSTN) The Veterans Project, was founded by Gigi M. E. Ramos. Ms. Ramos had witnessed first hand the special needs of Military Veterans and wanted to bring to light the common misconception that 'The US Government provides Military Veterans with any type of assistance that they may need.' In reality, Veterans only receive support for Military Service related injuries and illnesses.

     Once home, Military Veterans are just like any other group of individuals and sometimes they have a hard time making ends meet. As Ms. Ramos states, "It is so sad to see what some of these Veterans are going through. Some are young, some are old, but oh, the problems they've got!"

     VSTN opened the doors to The VSTN Thrift Store at 1202 Salinas Ave. in Laredo, Texas in January 2010. At that time, of the over 8,000 Military Veterans in Webb County, only 37 of the Military Veterans that were approached had applied for the assistance program. By August 2011, less than two years later, VSTN was providing food to approximately 500 Military Veterans and their families each month.

    
     As time went by, it became clear that there was a need for services beyond food and toiletries. VSTN stepped up to the plate and started coordinating with other Social Service agencies to ensure that Military Veterans had access to other needed services and resources. VSTN sought to provide resources to assist with food stamp applications, overcoming debt, and finding clothing suitable for job interviews. VSTN strives to create a network of services to ensure that Webb County Military Veterans receive the help that they need.